Without Reservation
by kamarooka
Summary: Modern Day. Darcy and Lizzy meet at a charity ball where she shocks him by standing up to Lady Catherine. Both are immediately attracted to one another but there are many secrets that they are both hiding. Will these tear them apart or make them stronger?
1. Chapter 1

- Chapter One  
Elizabeth Bennet walked into the foyer of Gibson Hall behind her sister, Jane. As she took in the luxury of the room, she thanked God that she had allowed Jane to talk her into buying this ridiculously expensive red dress. At first she had deemed it as too much, but now, teemed with the ruby necklace and earring set that her parents had given to her for her 21st birthday she felt beautiful and confident as she looked at the other guests. Her eyes wandered to Jane and she almost sighed over her sister's beauty. But she couldn't begrudge Jane her appearance; there had never been a less selfless or vain person in the world and Jane was blatantly unaware of the effect that she had. She was splendid in a long-sleeved gold gown with her blond her pinned to her head. Lizzy smiled at Jane when she turned to make sure that she was still beside her before continuing to study her surroundings. The hospital had chosen a magnificent venue to hold their fundraiser ball; Lizzy was glad that Jane had given the spare ticket to her. At the same time though, she wished that she didn't have to spend her Saturday night in the company of so many self-important people that usually dominated these events.

As they made their way towards the front desk to enter their names, she glanced around when she heard a particularly loud, brassy voice giving someone a verbal lashing. Looking behind her she saw that a party of five had entered shortly after them. It was made up of a man speaking to a woman with red hair who looked as if the sneer she was wearing was permanent; her conversation partner looked condescendingly amused with whatever it was that she had to say. Behind them was another man with red hair who was looking over his shoulder at the conversation that was taking place behind him; if it could be called a conversation. The obnoxious voice belonged to an elderly woman who looked as if she might feel more comfortable luring small children into her house made of gingerbread then in a ballroom. She was addressing the last member of the group; a man who appeared to be in his late twenties who made a striking appearance with his black hair that stopped just short of deep brown eyes. He was dressed in an expensive looking black suit paired with a red silk shirt. It was this shirt that was the cause of the older woman's distress.

"I don't understand why you decided to wear that horribly bright thing, William. I know for a fact that you have a great number of respectable white shirts that you could have worn to this event."  
"Aunt Catherine, nothing was specified on the dress code other than the fact that a black suit and tie must be worn. Well, I am wearing a black suit and tie; I have just decided to bring some colour into the equation." The man sent a slight scowl at the lady before catching the eye of the red-headed man and grinning. The elderly lady proceeded to move away and begin a conversation with the other woman of the party.  
Elizabeth smirked at the way that the man had held his ground against the woman who she was sure would be quite a tyrant. She continued to watch him across the room. When he looked around and caught her staring at him, she blushed and turned to Jane. She sneaked a look back at him and saw him smiling at her; she smiled back before both of them were pulled into conversations by their companions.

It was a while before Jane and Lizzy made it to the door to the Main Hall. They had intended to arrive fashionably late, but it seemed that the vast majority of guests had decided to do the same. As they stood, waiting their turn to finally make it through the door, Lizzy heard the formidable old lady strike up her argument with the young man once again.  
"You know, Will, I could have Carson bring around a freshly pressed shirt in a matter of minutes. You wouldn't enter far behind us."  
The man let out an exasperated sigh and Lizzy could tell that her persistent nagging was wearing him down.  
"If it makes you happy, Catherine, do what you want." Lizzy heard him mutter something about 'shutting up' under his breath. She didn't know what came over her, perhaps it was the champagne that she and Jane had consumed before arriving (or maybe it was the little nip of something stronger that she had snuck for courage), but she swung around to face the man and his Aunt, studying the pair of them.  
"Don't you dare." She said quickly before hurrying through the doors after her sister. When she chanced a glance back she saw the man smiling after her while the lady spluttered something that was no doubt very rude.

If Elizabeth thought that the foyer was gorgeous, it was nothing compared to the Main Hall.  
"The Hospital has really stepped up a notch in their venues, Janey." Lizzy said as she smiled at Jane."  
"Ha ha, we're trying to build up the reputation of the ball; hopefully we will gain more donations this way." She explained.  
The room was lit by large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling which was dominated by glass domes that allowed the guests to see the stars. Marble pillars lined the walls framing a series of archways. It truly made a breathtaking view.  
"Come on, Lizzy. I have to circulate for a while." Jane led her sister into the throng of people standing in various clusters around the hall.  
"Aah, yes. Dr Bennet, the famous neurosurgeon; the hospital's crown jewel." Lizzy grinned and winked, knowing that Jane would never admit how valuable she was.  
"Whatever, Liz B, just don't say that around Dr Branson."  
Jane, the man is so enamoured with you, that it doesn't matter what you were saying, he would probably just pass out from the fact that you were talking to him." Lizzy smirked at her sister as she sent a mock glare at her.  
"Elizabeth Bennet, you are going to be the death of me!" Jane gave her a light push, being careful of both their outfits. "Just humour me and go find us a drink."  
"Yes Dr!" Lizzy turned away in search of the bar.

Lizzy threaded her was through the growing crowd toward the back of the hall. As her eyes wandered across the room, she couldn't help but meet the brown ones staring back at her. She gave him a small smile and continued to move toward the bar. He followed her from across the dancefloor. Lizzy took advantage of a large group of people standing nearby and ducked behind them, using the opportunity to study the intense eyes. As she moved out from behind the crowd she saw their owner mirror her moves from across the room. She watched as the red-headed man from earlier drew him into a conversation, but his eyes continued to dart back to her. She let out a soft laugh and continued over to the bar.


	2. Chapter 2

- Chapter Two  
Darcy watched the back of the retreating woman as she walked through the doors with an equal mix of shock and curiosity. The way she stood up to Lady Catherine (who presented a formidable enough front without having the "pleasure" of knowing her) hinted at a spirited personality beneath the elegance of her evening wear. His aunt was saying something next to him that was no doubt very rude to the girl in question, but he paid her no attention as a grin spread over his face. When she turned briefly to look at him and reciprocated his smile, he was struck once more by her. It was not only her beauty, which was extraordinary even if it was in more of an earthy sense, but the intelligence and spark in her eyes made her so completely different to most of the women he was forced to socialise with. He did not take his eyes off her as Richard walked up to stand beside him.

"Who was that and where can I get one?" Seeing that Darcy's attention was no longer with her, Lacy Catherine walked away in a huff, hoping that the Bingley's would provide a more sympathetic ear to her grumblings.  
"I don't know, but I intend to find out." Darcy craned his neck, hoping for a last glimpse of the striking figure in red.  
"Oh, spiked your attention has she?" Richard elbowed his cousin in the ribs. "Remind me to shake her hand for luring the elusive Will Darcy out of his shell."  
Darcy turned to face his cousin, giving him a stern look. "You enjoy that Handshake, Rich, with any luck it will be the only physical contact that you ever have with her.  
"Wow, she's really made an impression." Richard winked at Darcy who shot a glare back at him. "Relax, I'll back off. But you should definitely go for it. Just think of how happy it will make Lady C." He chuckled and walked away, leaving Darcy to scowl after his retreating back. Sighing, he looked around and saw Caroline making her way over to him, her simpering smile plastered in place. Luckily, he managed to duck through the doors before she could sink her claws into him. He did not have the energy to try to be polite to Caroline tonight.  
Darcy began his rounds of the room, stopping to shake hands and make small talk with important people, all of whom addressed him respectfully before trying to pull him into a discussion about politics, finances or some new scheme. Darcy made his excuses before these conversations became too serious, claiming that he wanted to enjoy one night without having to worry about business. He amused himself that even hospitals where people were supposed to want to work out of a deep seated desire to help people had more than their fair share of fortune hunters and people desperate to share in the influence that his name held.

It was when Darcy was enjoying a brief respite, leaning against one of the pillars that framed the room that Bingley caught up to him.  
"Having fun?" He asked.  
"Yes, am having the most splendid evening. You know me, I just love these events. All the schmoozing and leering faces really make for the most wonderful evening." Darcy turned to Bingley with a sarcastic grimace plastered across his face. "And all the women here are just so riveting."  
"Come now, I saw the way you looked after that girl in red. Maybe this night won't be as bad as all the others." Bingley replied.  
"Shut up."  
"Or perhaps you would more enjoy the company of Caroline; you know she lives to make you happy. You really should give her a chance, you know." Darcy stared at Bingley with and incredulous look on his face. Charles started laughing as he took in the expression his friend wore.  
"Idiot!" Darcy scowled at Bingley. "Don't you dare say something like that again. Bloody hyena."  
Charles immediately stopped laughing and glared at Will. "Dick. You know, Willy, I think I see Caro coming over here now." With that, Charles sent him and evil smirk and pushed Will in the direction of his sister before disappearing into the throng of people.  
"Twat…"

"Willy! There you are, darling, I've been looking everywhere for you." Darcy turned to face the oncoming storm that was Caroline Bingley. She must have once been a rather beautiful lady, but now, thanks to the Botox, the only two expressions that ever graced her face were sickly sweet or disgusted, both of which left him feeling mildly (or largely) nauseated. And all he could think of as he looked at her now was 'snake'. The figure-hugging, sequined green dress resembled scales and her red hair looked like she was trying to warn that she was poisonous.  
"Isn't this the dreariest party? All anyone wants to talk about is cancer or surgeries or money!"  
"Caroline, it's a hospital charity ball, there are going to be doctors around and people who are interested in their work and who want to help by donating. That's the idea." Will said in a monotone. Caroline Bingley could turn a conversation about anything into the most tedious five minutes of anyone's life; if you had the good-fortune to only be subjected to her for five minutes.  
"Of course, dear. How silly of me. You are so clever, Will. I'm sure that the board is simply honoured to have you here."  
"I come here every year, I'm sure that they're used to it by now." Will scanned the ballroom searching for an escape of any kind. "Caroline, please excuse me, I see Dr Branson over there and I really must speak to him." Will walked away before she could respond or offer to come with him, not caring how rude he seemed.

He talked to the Chief of Staff without really paying attention to what he had to say other than to register the fact that the hospital had a new neurosurgeon that was absolutely fantastic. He realised he had forgotten that Dr Branson had a tendency to waffle on without realising it.  
"Excuse me, sir, but I'm afraid that I need to steal Mr Darcy away for a moment, there is someone he needs to see." Will turned around to see his cousin standing behind him with an apologetic smile.  
"Of course. I need to carry on with the rounds as will."  
"I could kiss you right now." Darcy said as the Doctor walked away.  
"Yeah? Well don't. Not only is incest illegal but I think it would send the wrong impression."  
"Whatever. So, is there someone that I actually need to see, or was that just a brilliant ruse on your part?"  
"Well, it was brilliant, but there is actually someone." Richard nodded his head at something behind Darcy's back. Will turned around to see the girl in red talking to a blonde woman in a gold gown. The two were laughing at something and the blonde gave the other a gentle shove who, after a few more words, turned and walked away. She scanned the ballroom, looking for something, but her eyes caught his instead. She gave a small smile before moving towards the bar. Darcy mirrored her actions on the other side of the dance floor, trying to keep her in view between the dancing couples. She disappeared behind a crowd of people and he was so busy looking for here that he nearly crashed into Charles.

"Woah, watch out."  
"Sorry mate." Darcy saw the girl appear again, look over at him and give a small laugh before moving on again. "Damn!" He swore.  
"Steady on, Don Juan, you can resume you staring competition in a second. Just watch out, Lady C is looking for you and she's got her fangs out tonight."  
"Bugger, can't you feed her some story saying I'm discussing a business proposition or something like that?" Darcy asked.  
"I'll try, but I don't know how long she'll buy it for. Maybe I'll push her in the direction of the Chief of Staff saying that he is very interested in her ideas for the improvement of the hospital." Charles mused.  
"Poor sod, he won't know what's hit him. Thanks mate, I'll catch up with you later." Darcy clapped Bingley on the shoulder and started walking towards the bar.  
His pace quickened slightly when he caught a glimpse of her through the crowd. He paused when he was a couple of metres away from her; admiring the way her dress showed off her neck and shoulders. He took a deep breath and walked up slowly behind her.

"Whisky on the rocks , thanks." He said to the bartender before coming to stand next to her. She turned to face him recognition lighting up her face before her eyes moved quickly over the rest of his body. "You know, we haven't been properly introduced, and I would very much like to meet the woman who managed to silence my aunt."  
"Elizabeth. Lizzy." She said, holding her hand out to him.  
"I'm Will." He shook her hand, perhaps holding onto it for a bit longer than necessary. A blush slowly spread across her cheeks but she kept looking into his face. Once again, he found himself staring into her eyes.  
"Miss? Your Bellini and your Black Russian. And your whisky, sir." The bartender interrupted their moment, perhaps for the better. They both turned to the bar and took their respective drinks.  
"You're not here with anyone, are you?" Darcy asked, gesturing to the two drinks she had.  
"Just my sister. The Russian is mine." He scolded himself for the small thrill that ran over his body. "You?" She asked.  
"Not like that." He noticed that her blush deepened a bit, painting her cheeks a lovely rosy colour.  
"I should probably deliver this drink." She went to move past him, but he grasped her elbow to stop her. Lizzy turned to face him, their bodies closer than before. Unconsciously, he leaned closer to her and breathed in the scent of her perfume as she looked up into his face.

"Lizzy, have you got that drink?" A voice came from behind Lizzy and she quickly stepped away and turned to it. Darcy frowned at the loss.  
"Still having a bad night?" Charlie walked up behind Darcy and looked at the two girls.  
"Well, it looked to be improving, but…"  
"Don't worry, I'll disappear soon, I just couldn't let you third wheel, could I? And at least you could introduce me to the blonde now, she's stunning!" Darcy rolled his eyes but turned back to face the ladies. Their conversation had stopped and Lizzy had given the other the Bellini.  
"Will, this is my sister, Jane. She is the new neurosurgeon here. Jane, this is Will."  
Darcy shook Jane's hand. "It's a pleasure. This is my friend, Charles. He doesn't do anything here, he just mooches off my generosity."  
"Shut up. That's not true, I donate every year. It's lovely to meet you, ladies." Even though Bingley addressed both women, Darcy could see the way that his eyes singled out Jane. He shook his head at his friend and looked at Lizzy; she was smiling at her sister and Charles, but turned at him when she felt his eyes on her. They looked at each other for a while, tuning back into the other conversation when they heard Charles ask Jane if she wanted to dance. Jane accepted and passed her drink to Lizzy before letting Charles escort her to the dance floor.  
Darcy watched the way Lizzy's eyes lit up as she laughed at the retreating couple's backs. She faced him again and Darcy tried to make it look like he hadn't been staring.  
"What about you, Will? Do you dance?" She asks  
"Usually not if I can help it." He replies and then lowers his voice a little. "But I think I could be brought to make an exception."


	3. Chapter 3

- Chapter Three

**Jane Austen owns all these wonderful characters, as it should be, I am merely borrowing them **

**AN: Hey guys. Already I'm really happy with the response to this story, so thank you. Special thanks goes out to ****xxx bex xxx**** who was the first to review and to ****BitingRedDragon**** who's been motivating me. Really, thank you to everyone who reviewed! Just want to let you know that I have put links up on my profile for the clothes that Lizzy, Darcy and Jane are wearing at the ball and also the link to some pictures of Gibson Hall, where the ball is being held. Enjoy.**

**Oh, and one more thing. I fully suggest that you jump on YouTube or whatever and listen to the songs I mention as you read, the lyrics are usually very significant or they will have an important role later on. Now I'm done.**

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Lizzy's heart quickened as Will took her hand and led her to the middle of the ballroom. When he put his hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him, she thought she might pass out. _Stop it. You've only just met the guy. Don't get worked up over nothing._ She scolded herself. But she completely lost her train of thought as she looked into his eyes again.

Meanwhile, Darcy was trying to desperately control his erratic heartbeat as he gazed at the woman in his arms. He almost felt embarrassed at the fact that he was acting like a teenager with an infatuation, but at this point in time he couldn't bring himself to care. He did force himself to glance away for a moment, for fear of scaring her with his staring. When he did, he noticed Caroline standing at the bar glaring at the girl so fiercely that he was surprised that her eyes weren't shooting flames. Not wanting to have the discomfort of her watching them, he looked down at Lizzy and said; "Do you trust me?" Lizzy looked up at him, her eyes a bit apprehensive, but she nodded anyway. Darcy tightened his hold on her and began spinning them gracefully so that they ended up on the other side of the floor, blocked from Caroline's view. Lizzy began laughing and he looked down at her questioningly.  
"I've never danced with a guy who knew what he was doing before." She said, still giggling. Darcy joined in with her laughter, smiling down at her.  
"My mother was a bit of a stickler for tradition."  
"Well, it's a wonderful tradition in my eyes." She replied. Darcy noticed that he hadn't loosened his hold, but she didn't seem to mind, curling her hand around to place it at the back of his neck. Feeling brave, he pulled her even closer to him, forgoing any impressive dance moves in favour of a gentle rocking turn. He felt giddy as she leant into him and placed her head against his chest.

"I love this song." He heard her say quietly. Darcy payed attention and heard the strains of Claire de Lune coming from where the bands piano player was sitting in a soft blue spotlight. The entire dance floor was bathed in the same blue light and Darcy looked back down at Lizzy; the light reflected off her skin and Darcy swore that if he ever had to imagine what an angel might look like, this girl, this surprising, spirited, beautiful girl, would come very close. Both seemed unaware of the fact that they were simultaneously leaning towards each other and tilting their faces. Of course, when they were centimetres away from one another, the last chords sounded and the guests started to applaud as the lights brightened. Both Darcy and Lizzy shook their heads slightly as if waking up and that delectable blush spread across her cheeks again. He cursed the shocking timing, but was glad that she didn't pull away, seeming content to continue dancing with him.

Darcy barely noticed each time the music progressed into a new song, they merely continued to dance and talk occasionally. More often than not, he contented himself with just looking at her, whether she was looking at him or gazing around the room. He knew he was in trouble. He could never remember falling for someone so hard, so fast. _What are you doing, Darcy, you idiot? You don't need this right now. And a thousand pound says she'll start running when she finds out. She doesn't seem like the type of person who would exactly be enamoured with my lifestyle._ Darcy let out a small sigh. _I'll just have to enjoy tonight then…_

As they kept dancing, Darcy couldn't help but worry about the number of press in the room. Sure, they were here legitimately, the hospital needed the publicity if events like this could continue, but all it would take was one well aimed shot leaked out and then his and Lizzy's faces would be splashed across the front page of every gossip rag.

_Oh God, Lizzy, you are out of your mind. You don't even know this man's last name and you're clinging to him like some teenager... Oh, but he just smells so good, and his arms... Shut up! Stop thinking about that… I wonder how strong he is… Ugh, why am I having an argument with myself?!_ Lizzy's thoughts were flying around her head as she held onto Will. Here she was, 24 years old, respectable job, living out of home and she was swooning at the touch of a man that she had only met that night. Lizzy looked up at Will and saw him looking down at her. She smiled up at him, and he grinned back before getting a mischievous look in his eyes. Before she even had time to ask him what he was thinking of, he was suddenly whisking her around the dance floor in time to the music; it was all she could do to hold onto him and laugh, praying that he wouldn't let her go. When they finally slowed down she looked up at him about to scold at him, but her words caught in her throat. He looked so delicious; his hair falling across his forehead and his bright eyes sparkling from laughter. His grin faded from his face as he met her eyes, both of their chests heaving.

"Lizzy?" Lizzy didn't know whether to curse Jane or to kiss her. She was sure that she and Will had been just seconds away from what probably would have been an amazing kiss, but maybe the interruption would give her the time to clear her head.  
"Yes?" She answered.  
"I'm really sorry to interrupt, but Mum is on the phone. She says she's been trying to reach you all night, but that you didn't answer. I told her that we were out, but she won't give up. Would you…?" Lizzy sighed; of course, it had to be her mother to interrupt this incredible dance. Only Fanny Bennet could have such_ impeccable_ timing.  
"Fine. I'll talk to her." She looked up at Will, an apology in her eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just that she won't rest until we've spoken."  
"It's fine, don't worry about it. If you want to dance again, I'll wait for you by the bar."  
"Thank you. I won't be long." Lizzy smiled at him again before taking the phone from Jane, who, she noticed, went straight back to Charles. Deciding that outside would be a better place to take this phone call; she made her way to the main doors and entered the foyer again.

"Hello, mama…"  
"Elizabeth Bennet!" Her mother squawked so loudly that she had to hold the phone away from her ear. "I have been trying to reach you all evening. Honestly, what is the point of having a mobile if you never answer it? Never mind. Anyway, whatever plans you may have next weekend, I need you to cancel them all immediately. You are required at home, and it is not up for negotiation. Bill Collins is coming over and I need you to be friendly to him. He's very well set-up now, you know. Has some sort of important job for someone, I can't remember who. And his teeth aren't nearly as bad as they used to be. I simply insist that you come home and join us at dinner. He would be very good for you. heaven knows you need a man in your life again." Throughout this conversation, Elizabeth had been unable to contribute more than a few half formed words that were quickly cut-off by her mother's persistent ramblings, but here she finally managed to put forward her opinion when her mother paused after her long-winded speech. "Mum! I can't come next weekend. The school play is the week after that and I'm going to be flat out preparing. I also promised Charlotte that I would help her move. And what is more, I do not need you to set me up with anyone, least of all Bill Collins!" Lizzy ended the call immediately. She knew there would be hell to pay when her mother got hold of her again, but she just did not have the energy to deal with her; not when there was a certain handsome man waiting for her next door. Her smile grew across her face as she turned around and walked back into the main hall.  
She was just inside the door when a voice rang out to her right. It was a voice that she would recognise anywhere and which would always send chills directly to her heart. She froze as it uttered two words; two words which took her back straight back to her own, private hell.

"Hello Lizbet."

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**This one was a little shorter than I wanted, by the heat made it impossible to concentrate for very long and I really wanted to get it up today. Basically it is just a bit of a filler and some lovey-dovey stuff. The next chapter will have Darcy as a stong protective man, for those who like it. Hope you're enjoying it :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Jane Austen owns all these amazing characters and everything recognisable.**

**Wow, you guys must know how much I love you. Here is a pretty long one for you and I hope it answers some questions and possibly raises more. It's nearly midnight for me and I am absolutely exhausted. But I promised myself that I would get this up today, so I am sorry for any spelling mistakes/grammatical errors/random words that don't appear to belong anywhere, I tried to edit this as best as I could, but my brain his on information overload after I spent the day running around my new uni trying to decide what subjects to do. Sorry, this probably isn't very interesting for you :P  
But, anyway, without further ado, here is Chapter Four :)**

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Darcy was disappointed after Lizzy's sister interrupted them with the phone call; he'd been just seconds away from kissing the hell out of her. But maybe it was for the better; let her get used to the idea of him before subjecting her to his world. That was an unfortunate side-effect that came with his position; the complete and utter lack of privacy. One could never hide their relationships for long and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted a relationship with this girl.

He was surprised that there had been no flash of recognition across her face or in her eyes when she looked at him, but it also pleased him. It made the chance of her falling in love with him and not his power or wealth all the more real, and real was not something he was able to experience a lot of.

Darcy scoffed at himself; he couldn't believe he was thinking about love already. He made his was over to the bar and ordered another whisky to pass the time.  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our very own Romeo. What are you doing over here all by your lonesome?"  
"Shut up, Richard."  
"I'll have a scotch, thanks." Richard said to the bartender.  
"That's not as adventurous as your usual drinks, is it?" Darcy asked.  
"No, it's not, but somehow I don't think that a place like this would appreciate it if I came up to the bar and asked for a 'Dirty White Mother.'"  
"No, I doubt that they would." Darcy agreed  
"So, where has your lovely lady friend gone?" Darcy jerked his head towards the main doors that he was watching so intently.  
"She had to take a phone call."  
"Pfft, how boring!" Richard scoffed, and then he became more serious. "Does she know?"  
"About me?" Richard nodded. "I don't think so, which is surprising, but not altogether unwelcome."  
"Yes, we wouldn't want it to interfere with your _wooing_ plans, now would we?"  
"Richard, your complete incapability to hold any semblance of an intelligent conversation never fails to astound me." Richard clutched at his heart dramatically and adopted a hurt expression.  
"Oh, you've wounded me to the core, William Darcy. How am I ever going to recover?" Darcy barely payed him any attention, not drawing his eyes away from the door. "Wow, she's really got you all worked up, hasn't she?" Darcy didn't bother to reply to that. "Well, I wish you luck mate, honestly, I think she could be good for you. She'd keep you in your place, that's for sure…" Richard trailed off as Darcy straightened up suddenly. He had just seen Lizzy enter the room again. He made to move towards her but paused as she saw her stop then turn to face someone who was partially hidden in the shadow of a pillar.

Lizzy felt her palms sweating as she turned around towards the voice. She had thought that she was rid of him, but fate obviously had it in for her.  
"What do you want?" She asked, trying to keep her voice under control.  
"What I've always wanted; you." He said simply, voice oozing confidence.  
"Well, you can't have me, sorry to disappoint."  
"Aah, there's my little spitfire. Thought I'd lost you for a second."  
"I am not _your anything_!" Lizzy made to leave, hoping to find Jane and get out of here quickly, when his hand shot out to grab her upper arm in a vice-like grip that she was sure would leave bruises. The move brought him into the light. His steel blue eyes pierced hers, devoid of any warmth.  
"Now, now, not so fast. I'm not done with you."

Darcy watched Lizzy sharply as she talked to the man by the door. Her body was rigid and defensive, so different to when they had been dancing. He watched the pair for a little longer, noticing that she became more and more tense. His indecision as to whether to interfere or not was cast away as the man grabbed Lizzy and his face was revealed.  
"Fuck!" He swore. Richard followed his line of sight, looking over to the door.  
"Holy hell! Darce, isn't that…?  
"Go and get Charles. Tell him that Wickham is here." Will started striding away towards Lizzy while Richard hurried off in search of the red-head.

He found him dancing with Jane again, but he had no qualms about interrupting them. He tapped Bingley on the shoulder.  
"Wickham is here, Will needs us."  
"Wickham?!" Both men looked at Jane in surprise as she half-shrieked the name.  
"You know him?" Richard asked incredulously.  
"Unfortunately. He is an old boyfriend of Lizzy's. Let's just say the relationship didn't end well. He got a restraining order stating that he couldn't come within a mile of her and Lizzy… she…" Jane trailed off; looking distressed and Charles placed a comforting hand on her shoulder whilst exchanging a dark look with Richard. Both of them knew what George Wickham was capable of.  
"Come on," he said. "We need to find them."

Lizzy couldn't hide her fear as George pulled her closer to him.  
"No. you don't get to walk away from me." He snarled. Lizzy tried to wrench her arm free, but he only held her tighter. "Not this time. This time, I make the rules." She whimpered slightly as he shook her. "You ruined me, Lizzy. Do you know how hard it is to get a job with a criminal record? Do you know how much I've had to scrape? Do you know how hard it has been to stay away from you?"  
Lizzy shuddered as she thought of this disgusting man anywhere near her or her family.  
"But then again, you always were a selfish bitch. It was always 'The Lizzy Show', there was never any time for me, was there?"  
"No, George. There never was any time for you. After you blackened my eye, I didn't want to have anything to do with you. Do you want me to list what else you did; the hospital trips, the sluts, the lies?"  
"Shut up. Don't you understand? I had to make you see. I had to make you see that you weren't as high and mighty as you thought you were."  
"And you succeeded. By God, did you succeed. I've never been brought so low in my life. But you know what I've learnt? That it wasn't my fault. It was you. It was all you, you sick, egotistical, bastard!"  
"Why don't you just learn to shut your mouth for once, you dirty, little…?" Wickham trailed off and his grip slackened as he stared behind her in surprise. Lizzy pulled her arm free and stumbled backwards, gasping as she collided with someone's chest. Warm arms caught her and then pushed her out of the way. She found herself peering around Will's back at Wickham who stood, staring, like a deer caught in a spotlight. He quickly recovered and began to sneer at Will.  
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Will Darcy. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company this fine evening?"  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Will growled.  
"Will! Where are your manners? I was simply paying a visit to an old friend." Wickham directed his smirk at Lizzy and she felt sick.  
"Get out of here, Wickham." Will's order was backed up by the arrival of Charles and another man with Jane in tow, who immediately went to Lizzy's side. Will looked around at the nearby guests, some of whom were now looking in their direction. "People are starting to notice, and you never have been one to face up to your crap."  
"Of course, sir. You know I bow to your command." Wickham said condescendingly, and then looked at Lizzy again. "But you know, you can't save this one, Darcy. I've already had her, you see." Will made to move towards the man who was now laughing as he left the hall but was stopped by Charles' restraining hand on his shoulder. It was only then that Lizzy turned her face into the protective comfort of Jane's shoulder.

Darcy ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily.  
"You alright, mate?" Rich asked.  
Darcy grunted non-committedly, knowing he wouldn't be alright for a while. He left Richard and Charles to talk to one another and walked the few steps over to the ladies. Lizzy was encircled in Jane's arms, who was rubbing soothing circles on her back.  
"Maybe we should go outside, people really are beginning to stare." He suggested. Jane nodded and ushered her sister in the foyer.  
"Lizzy?" She turned to face him and a piece of his heart died as he saw the pain etched into every part of her face. She was trembling and he could tell that she was trying to hold back the tears. "Are you okay?"  
"Thank you for coming over, I think it would have ended quite differently if you hadn't." Darcy noticed that she avoided his question, but he didn't press her.

Richard and Charles joined them again at this point, the latter going straight to Jane's side. When Richard nudged him and cleared his throat pointedly, Darcy remembered that he had never been introduced.  
"Jane, Lizzy, this is my cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam."  
"It's a pleasure to meet two such divine beauties," Darcy sighed at his cousin's dramatics. "But I am sorry that it wasn't under better circumstances." Both Lizzy and Jane smiled at him before Jane turned to Charles apologetically.  
"I know we made plans to go out for coffee, but I have to take Lizzy home, I'm sorry."  
"It's fine, please don't worry. I have your number, I'll call you soon. Just look after her. Jane nodded sadly at him.  
"No, Janey. I can take myself home. It's only a few minutes in a taxi. Please stay, it's important for the hospital." Lizzy felt foolishly guilty for the fact that Jane was about to risk a wonderful evening with Charles for her.  
"Don't be silly! It's not that important and I don't want you going alone." Jane protested, frowning at her younger sister. But before Lizzy could open her mouth to argue, Will took his chance to intervene.  
"If she doesn't mind, I can take Lizzy home? I'm done here anyway. It's not any sort of inconvenience, I assure you." Jane looked at Lizzy, who nodded, before she sighed in defeat.  
"Fine. But I am coming over in the morning." She looked at Darcy pointedly as she said the last part.  
"Of course, Janey, I wouldn't expect anything less." Lizzy said.  
Will turned to his cousin and scratched his chin. "Richard could you…"  
"Don't worry. I'll get the two old hags home and spin up some story for you."  
"Thank you." Darcy smiled at him then turned back to Lizzy. He could see in her eyes that she was desperate to get out of here. "Will you wait with Jane for a minute, I'll just get the car." She nodded at him and he turned and walked away.

"Here, talk to Charlie for a second, I'll get your clutch." Jane said, squeezing her hand.  
"You alright there, Lizzy." Charles asked.  
"Honestly Charlie? No, I'm not." Lizzy gave him a weak smile, then turned back to look at the front doors. She felt Charles place a gentle and on her shoulder and Richard walked up beside her, unconsciously closing ranks around her as they waited for Will and Jane to come back.

Will walked up to the four of them a few minutes later.  
"Are you ready?" He asked Lizzy.  
"Yes." She replied. She gave Jane a brief hug farewell and said that she would see her tomorrow. She waved goodbye to Charles and Richard and then walked up to stand next to him. Will led her to the front doors, but paused before they went outside. He shrugged his jacket off and then draped it around her shoulders.  
"It's cold out there." Once outside, he placed his arm around her waist and tightened it when she leaned into him. She seemed incredibly small and frail compared to the young woman from earlier in the evening. In this way, he led her over to his car and opened the passenger door for her. Once he had shut it, he walked around to the driver's side, climbed in and made sure that the heat was turned on 'high.'  
"Where too?" He asked. She gave him her address and he was excited to hear that it was very close to his flat.

They drove in silence for a few minutes. When he looked over at her, Will saw her twitching her fingers and picking at her skin and nails. He realised that this had hit her even harder than he had originally thought and he wondered what that asshole had done to her. Trying not to dwell on those thoughts, he reached over and covered her hands with one of his. She froze for a second before grabbing his firmly between hers. Even through her tight grip, he could still feel the shudders running through her body.

She kept holding his hands until they pulled up out the front of her block of flats. Will turned the car off and again went around to open her door for her. He took her hand again and helped her out of the car. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he pulled her against his body and hugged her. She seemed to melt against him and he pressed a light kiss to the top of her head. They stayed like that until she started to shiver.  
"Come on. You should go inside." He said, releasing her. She nodded her head and then turned to walk to the door. She had only gone a couple of steps when she turned around again.  
"Do you want to come up?"  
"Are you sure? I mean…"  
"I'm sure."

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**What do you think?**

A couple more things... It's my bday tomorrow and then I'm going away for 5 days after that, so I'm not sure when I will be able to update next, hopefully I will be able to get onto a computer while away, but I will definitely be taking my notebook and continuing to write.  
I hope you are all enjoying this story as much as I am writing it. xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Here we go. Hope this satisfies those of you who have wanted some one-on-one Darcy/Lizzy time**

**Thank you to all of you who have reviewer/favourited/followed and please keep doing so, it makes my day.**

**As usual, Jane Austen owns everything recognisable.**

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- Chapter Five

Darcy followed Lizzy through the front door of the block of flats, she led him to the lift and then pressed the button for the third floor.

"It's not a particularly high up, but I just don't feel like taking the stairs." She said.

"I understand." He reassured her, smiling.

When they reached her landing, Lizzy paused at her door and fumbled with her keys, he noticed that her hands were still shaking, so he took the keys from her and opened the door. Lizzy smiled at him but Darcy was still worried about her, he thought that being home might be the best thing for her. And, as she crosses the threshold, she takes a deep breath and expels it heavily, letting her shoulders sink down with it.

"How are you doing?" He asks, concern etching his face and his voice.

"I'm alright. Still a bit shocked. I just really want to get out of these clothes, though; will you excuse me for a minute?" She asks. Darcy nodded at her. "Thanks, I won't be long. The kettle is just there and cups are in the cupboard underneath that. Go ahead and make a tea or something"

"Thanks. Take your time, don't worry about me. I'm a battler." He said, feeling his heart lift as she chuckles slightly at his words.

"Okay, then. I'll be back in a minute, so try not to do battle with my kitchen." Darcy watched her as she left him and went into what he presumed was the bedroom. He turned to the kitchen counter and proceeded to make two cups of tea, thinking of what his mother used to see about tea being the unofficial cure for everything.

By the time the kettle had boiled and he had hunted down the sugar, Lizzy was back, all her makeup removed and wearing a white dressing gown with her hair cascading in waves down her back. Will thought she looked even more beautiful like this then when she was all dressed up for the ball. He followed her to the couch and sat down next to her, handing her one of the cups of tea.

"I made you one, thought you could probably use it. Is white with one okay?"

"Thank you, it's perfect."

They sat in silence for a while, Darcy watched as the tension seemed to creep out of her with each passing minute, but she still fiddled with the handle of the cup she was holding.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"Not really, it's all a bit too much for one night." She said. "But thank you, really. For everything."

"You don't have to thank me." He said quietly. They lapsed into silence for a while longer. Will could tell that she could had something on her mind, but didn't want to press her, knowing that she would bring it up when she felt comfortable. To his surprise, she shyly moved closer to him a few minutes later until she was pressed against his side. He took her empty cup away from her and put it on the coffee table before placing his arm across her shoulders. She leant into him more, resting her head on his shoulder. Will felt exceptionally warm and comfortable like is and began to get drowsy. She spoke before he could properly fall asleep.

"Will?"

"Hmmm?" He replied sleepily.

"Do you know him? Wickham?"

"Aah." He frowned slightly. "Yes, I know him. Unfortunately. His father worked for mine, so we grew up together."

"What did he mean when he said that you wouldn't be able to 'save this one'? I know he meant me, but..."

"You picked up on that did you?" He felt her nod against his shoulder. "Well, we didn't exactly part on the best of terms last time we saw one another. But it's not completely my story to tell; it affected other people worse than it affected me, you see. I'd have to ask them before I could tell anyone."

"I understand." He felt Lizzy begin to move away from him slowly' but he tightened his arm and brought her back to lean against him.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, I promise. I just can't right now. Is that okay?"

"Yes, it really is. I'm sorry for prying."

"You weren't prying." She leant her head back on his shoulder and became quiet once more. He noticed when her breathing changed and looked down to see her fast asleep. He moved a piece of hair out of her face and ran a finger along her cheek.

"God. What are you doing to me, Lizzy?"

When Will woke up he found that he had somehow shifted in his sleep to lean against the arm rest, stretched out across the seat. Lizzy was pressed between him and the back of the couch, her head on his chest and her left hand fisted tightly into his shirt. Without trying to move her, he stretched his neck, wincing at it protested at being moved. Darcy looked down at her, and decided that she could not be comfortable like that. He slid out from beside her, stretched his body and then bent down to pick her up. He carried her in his arms, bridal style, to her bedroom. She curled into his chests as he walked. He placed her gently down on the bed and then wriggled the blankets out from underneath her. She stirred as he covered her and opened her eyes.

"Will?"

"Hey there."

"Did I fall asleep?" She asked.

"We both did, it's been a long night." He told her.

"Yeah, it has."

Will finished tucking in the blankets around her and then started to leave the room.

"Will?" He turned back to face the bed.

"Yeah?"

"Can you stay?" Her eyes were open wide and looking at him.

"With you?"

"Yeah. I don't really want to be alone." His heart melted at that, if he had any thoughts before about refusing her, they evaporated now.

"Of course." He flicked off the light switch and then walked round to the other side of the bed. He took off his belt, his cufflinks and his shoes and climbed in beside her. She rolled over to face him and they joined their hands on the pillow between him. Darcy watched as her eyes drifted shut, a smile still gracing her face.

He couldn't have been asleep long before he woke up to feel the woman beside him shaking. As he became more alert, he realised that her body, which was now facing away from him, was wracked with sobs which she was trying desperately to control.

"Lizzy?" He reached out towards her and as his hand came into contact with her side she gasped and flinched away from him. " Hey, hey. It's okay, it's just me. It's okay. I promise; nobody is going to hurt you." he tried to reassure her. as she recognised his voice she rolled herself over suddenly and pressed tightly into him, her face hidden in his chest amongst the folds of his shirt. He held her in his arms and whispered gently to her as he let her cry herself out. Again he felt that boiling rage towards Wickham over all the people he had hurt.

When she began to calm down, he pulled away slightly to look her in the face.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm so sorry. You must think I am absolutely bonkers."

"Of course I don't. I just think that you must have been incredibly hurt by this man to make you react this way."

"Yes, well, he's not exactly Gandhi material, is he?"

Darcy chuckled at this. "No. No, he is not." He looked back down at her; her face still damp from her tears and her eyes sparkling. He couldn't help it when his eyes moved down to her lips, which were slightly parted. His eyes moved back to hers and saw that she was studying him just as intently. When she met his gaze he moved his head down and brushed his lips, just once, over hers. She froze and he began to pull back, expecting her to tell him to leave, but he was restricted by her hand once more latching onto his shirt. Se pulled him towards her again and he pressed his lips to hers.

This time, she kissed him back and he felt that if the world was suddenly to go up in flames around him he could hardly care less. He tightened his arms around her and crushed her body against his. She slipped her arm around his neck and twisted her fingers into his hair. He kept his bottom arm and hand pressed against her back had let the other one latch onto her hip to hold her to him. Letting himself get caught up in the moment, he ran his tongue along her bottom lip and felt her sigh against his mouth. He teased her for a while longer before her mouth opened and her tongue met his. To him, her taste was something that could only be attributed to the divine. He knew he was being corny, but couldn't help it. He ran his hand up her sides and rested it on her rib cage. Both of her hands reached around to the front of his shirt and undid some of the top buttons, then they reached underneath the material to hold onto his shoulders. He gently undid the tie of her dressing gown and pushed it open revealing the white pyjamas underneath. He let his hand slide under the gown and explored her neck, shoulders, back and side, memorising the landscape of her body.

She finished undoing the buttons of his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders, he took his hands off of her and slid it down his arms, throwing it behind him on the floor. He wasn't going to sleep with her tonight, considering what had happened, but as long as she wanted to continue this, he wasn't going to protest. He hovered over her and then leaned down to join their lips again. Lizzy moaned slightly as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and teased her own. He rested himself on one forearm near her head and ran the other down her neck, her ribs, waist, hips and her thigh. She raised herself up slightly to push against him. Darcy felt her hands explore his chest, shoulders and back. When he pulled her bottom lip into his mouth and nipped and sucked at it lightly, she raked her nails down his back. Causing him to hiss and arch into her. Her hips met his own and the thought he might pass out from the contact. His right hand grabbed onto her hip roughly to hold them together. She broke away from their kiss and gasped for air; Will took the opportunity to trail kisses along her jaw and neck. She arched again when he sucked at her pulse point.

He continued to kiss down her neck until he reached the swell of her breasts, still contained by her camisole. He sucked her hard enough to leave a small mark, humming contentedly as he did so. Her fingers were entwined in his hair again and she gave it a small tug as his mouth left her, he chuckled at her response and moved back up to kiss her lips again. As he did, he brought his hand up to trail lazily along her ribs; she pressed her chest into his and he took that as an invitation to move his hand to cup one of her breasts. She moaned against his lips again as he kneaded her through the silk of her pyjamas. He softly traced a circle around her nipple, working her up before allowing himself to touch it. When he did tweak it, she shuddered against him, prompting him to continue his ministrations. He lightly pulled and twisted as she continued to writhe beneath him. When she began gasping for air and he returned to kissing her neck, he moved his hand to give her other breast the same attention. He pulled his head back to watch her face, feeling smug at the pleasure that was written all over it.

Suddenly, she flipped them over, straddled him and attacked his mouth. He sat up, keeping her in his lap and kissed her back fiercely. He groaned when she rocked her hips against his, causing delicious friction between them. He grabbed her hips in his hands and squeezed them, trying to not surrender his self-control completely. She pulled back and flashed him a cheeky grin, before rocking again slightly. She began to lightly bite and kiss around his ear before pulling his earlobe into her mouth, driving him wild. Despite his best intentions, as his let his face fall into the crook of her neck, he couldn't help but use his hands to guide her to rub against him again, drawing in a sharp breath as she did so. They continued this for a while longer until her hands began to make their way down the front of his body, reaching his pants. When she ran a finger just inside the waistband and then began to fiddle with the button, he grabbed her wrists and managed to croak out; "Wait!"

She looked up at him, confusion evident upon her face.

"We can't." Darcy was practically kicking himself as he watched her face pale, but knew that he had let this go too far.

"Oh, God! No, of course we can't. I'm so sorry; I mean, we hardly know each other. I just thought..." She trailed off and began to attempt to climb off of him but he held on to her to stop her moving any further away.

"Lizzy, listen to me. I want this; and I don't care that we've only just met. But when we make love for the first time, and believe me, we will make love, I don't want it to be because we are both reeling from the aftershock of a very unpleasant encounter." He told her. "But please don't think that I don't want you, because, trust me, I do. Very much." He rocked slightly beneath her to prove it to her. Emotions flitted across her face; sadness, confusion, lust... Hope. She flashed him a quick smile again and then lowered her head towards his, asking for a kiss that he readily gave.

"You'll still stay though, won't you?" She asked.

"I don't think I am in any state to leave at the moment." This time, he let her climb off him but stayed close to her, spooning her when she lay down, pulling her back tight against his chest and wrapping his arm around her waist. He knew that the evidence of his desire for her was still raging, strengthened when she rubbed her backside against his groin.

"Minx!" He growled and nipped her shoulder lightly, he then soothed the area with kisses and small licks. She giggled in his arms and nestled closer to him. He fell asleep once more with a smile on his face but also hoping that he could stay asleep longer then two hours this time.


	6. Chapter 6

- Chapter Six

**Jane Austen owns everything recognisable.**

**Hi guys. I've just noticed a mistake in my work and I'm really sorry. **

**I've mentioned Collins in two different ways, one of them being as a co-worker of Jane's and one as someone that Mrs Bennett is trying to set Lizzy up with. I aim to go back and change the fact that he works at the hospital, but this is just clarification for those who are reading this as I am updating. I'm going to stick with Collins Number 2 as it fits better with other points of the story. Again, I am really sorry for this and I hope that no-one was too confused by it.**

**Also, if the name Janet has cropped up at any point, that is my auto-correct messing around with 'Janey'. I think I edited them all, but just in case...**

**And for those of you who picked up on Darcy saying "pleasant encounter" please know that it was supposed to say "unpleasant". Again, I'm sorry for all of these mistakes and I hope you are still enjoying the story.**

**This chapter was actually a little difficult for me to write, but that could have been because I have taken to writing it at around midnight and am not usually at my most coherent at that time. **

**One more thing, and I know you are probably very sick of my by now, but I don't know hen I will be able to update next as my Internet is down and I have no idea when it will be fixed. I only managed to get this up because I had to go somewhere with Internet to do my uni application.**

**Anyway, enjoy, and I promise that answers will start to appear in the next few chapters, as this one is basically a filler and some smut.**

* * *

Lizzy woke up with her head on Will's naked chest and their arms wrapped around one another. She smiled and held him tighter, realising that he was also awake when she felt his fingers begin to trail lightly up and down her spine. She looked up at him when she felt him kiss the top of her head.

"Good morning." He said, smiling at her.

"Mmm, good morning." She out her head back on her chest and snuggled further into his side. He chuckled at her actions but turned towards her slightly so he could bring his other arm further around her. Lizzy drew patterns on his chest with her fingers, and then, feeling brave, she followed with a kiss to his collarbone. Will moved one of his hands to her face to tilt her chin up and then gently pressed his lips to hers. She smiled against his mouth and let out a small laugh when he began to pepper kisses against his jaw. He threaded his fingers through her hair at the base of her skull and kissed her again. His lips remained gentle as he eased them over hers and when he pulled back to look at her, she was slightly breathless from the sweetness of it all.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, tearing her eyes away from his dark ones.

"Hmm, I guess so." His face changed slightly and she couldn't help but let out a squeal when he rolled them over and held himself over her.

Lizzy laughed, but as she shifted beneath him, she became hyper-aware of the way she was stretched out beneath the hard planes of his body and of all the places they were touching. She looked into his eyes and watched as they took on a new urgency. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned down towards her and kissed her. While he was still gentle, there was an edge to the kiss that left her hanging on to him tightly. She gasped when he tugged at her lower lip, then sighed as he slid his tongue into her mouth. She felt one of his hands slip underneath her top and find the bare skin of her lower back. She couldn't remember how or when, but she had lost her dressing gown at some point during the night before. His fingers played her spine like a piano before slipping around to graze her rib cage. He ran his fingers along them lightly, occasionally he skimmed along the underside of her boob, but never gave them the attention she wanted. Before long, she was mewling with need and arching her back off the bed. Only then did he relent and covered her breast with his hand; squeezing and kneading her. In her lust-filled haze she bit down on his bottom lip. He inhaled sharply and then growled against her lips, tweaking her nipple. Lizzy broke away from his lips and cried out. Will took advantage of this to pull her up into a sitting position, then whip her shirt over her head. Lizzy shivered when the air hit her chest. While she was surprised by his actions, considering what he said to her last night, she wasn't in the mood to stop him. When he pressed their bare chests together and pulled her closer, causing them to rub together, she fisted her hands in his hair and forced him to kiss her. Their tongues did battle and it felt like he was everywhere.

As she straddled him, she felt the definite bulge in his pants and ground herself against it, her eyes fluttering shut. His hands grabbed her hips and pulled her tighter against him, fusing their groins together. They both moaned simultaneously and she rocked her hips again. As he guided her hips with his hands she realised that already this felt better than last night; there was no lingering sadness. He brought his mouth down to suck her neck, finding that spot that drove her nuts and focusing in on it as she shuddered against him. Lizzy knew that this should feel wrong, she barely knew him, but at this moment, it just felt amazing and right. Slowly, Will lowered her back onto the bed and gazed down at her.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered, then he returned to kissing her. Lizzy felt his hand return to her breast and start to tease her again. He alternated between feather-light strokes to pinching her nipple and squeezing the flesh. As she melted beneath him, Lizzy was bewildered by the power he had over her. She suddenly became aware of his hand ghosting lower across her body. He chuckled as she gasped when he reached her thigh and parted her legs slightly. He swallowed her moan as he began to sweep up and down the inside of her leg, moving a little higher with each pass. She tried to press against him, but again, he chuckled and evaded her. A few more times, he trailed up and down, Lizzy gasping at the sensation, before his fingers drifted inside her shorts and skimmed over her panties. She couldn't help but let out the high pitched keen as she broke away from his lips and arched her back, hoping prolong the contact. Will had just started to increase the pressure when the intercom by her bed buzzed, causing them both to freeze and stare wide-eyed at one another. Lizzy was so tempted to ignore it, but it buzzed again, long and loud. She picked up hand-set with on hand, keeping the other arm wrapped around Will, refusing to let him budge an inch.

"Yes? Who is it?"

"It's me!" Janet's voice sounded from the speaker. "Hurry up and let me in, it's freezing!"

"Okay, okay." Lizzy put the phone down and quickly buzzed Jane in, before turning to Will. "Shit."

"Jane?" He asked.

"Yep, she's on her way up."

"Bugger. No offence, but your sister has terrible timing." He said before rolling away from her and handing her back her pyjama top.

"Tell me about it." She groaned. "Ensuite is through there, I'll go 'welcome' her." Lizzy pulled her top on and then hunted around for her dressing gown, chucking Will his shirt in the process. As a knock sounded at her front door, Will pulled her in for a quick kiss before disappearing into her bathroom, leaving Lizzy to deal with her beloved sister.

She pulled the door open as Jane was half-way through her second knock.

"What took you so long?" The blonde asked.

"I was still in bed, actually. Not all of us are up before dawn after a night out." Jane smiled at her sister's response, before she let her concern seep into her face.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm not too bad actually." Lizzy told her. "Of course, it was a horrible shock, but, I don't know... I just don't mind so much anymore."

Lizzy felt a bit unsettled as she watched Jane's eyes narrow and rake over her. She suddenly felt self-conscious as she wondered how she looked.

"Sorry, I don't know why we are standing in the doorway. Do you want a cup of tea?" Lizzy turned away and led the way into her apartment, letting Jane shut the door as she said that she would. "How did your night end? Is Charlie every bit the gentleman he seems?" She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see her sister blush and lower her head. "Oh, did something happen?"

"Oh Lizzy, he is lovely! We spent most of the rest of the ball together and then he took me out afterwards. Only for coffee, but it was so nice. He drove me home too."

"And did you invite him up for a... Nightcap?" Lizzy asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh shut up! I did ask him if he wanted to come in, but he said that he wanted to get in touch with Will and see how he was doing. He asked if I wanted to go out again tonight. I said yes, but do you think it is too soon?" Lizzy had busied herself making tea as she listened to Jane talk, but now turned to face her sister.

"Janet, did you, at any point when you were with him, find yourself bored?"

"No..."

"Did you ever wish you were somewhere else?"

"No, but..."

"Did he make you feel special?"

"Yes. Yes he did."

"Then trust me, it's not too soon."

"I guess you are right." Jane said thoughtfully.

"I usually am, you know."

"Oh, go away Einstein." Jane accepted her tea from Lizzy with a quick thanks, then paused. "Um, Liz? Why did you make three?"

"Um..." Lizzy looked down at the second mug in her hand and then back at her sister, not entirely sure what to say. Of course, Will chose that exact moment to walk out of her room, looking entirely too good for someone who had slept in his clothes. Most of them, anyway.

Jane had the decency to lower the eyebrow that she raised at Lizzy before he saw her, but had trouble schooling her face back into a neutral expression.

"Janey, you remember Will, don't you?" Lizzy asked, silently begging her sister to just go along with it.

"Of course I do. It's lovely to see you again. Thank you for taking care of Lizzy so well last night." Lizzy squirmed slightly at Jane's choice of words, but Will smiled at her sister and reached across the kitchen counter to shake her hand.

"You too. It was my pleasure. I hope the rest of your evening was enjoyable and that you and Charlie hitter off; I had a feeling that you might." This time, it was Janet's turn to feel embarrassed and a light blush stained her cheeks. Lizzy thought it was probably time for her to intervene instead of allowing the conversation to die a slow and painful death.

"I made you some tea." She said, turning to Will and handing him one of the cups she was holding.

"Thank you." Will smiled at her and took the cup, his fingers brushing lightly over hers. She turned back to Jane to avoid staring into his eyes like a moon-sick fool.

"What are you up too today?" She asked her sister.

"I have some paper work to do for Dr Branson and a few last minute things to finalise before I start work properly this week. I have my first surgery here on Tuesday and I want to read up on the case as well. I have to say, I am glad that it's only Saturday, I think if it had been Sunday I might have had a bit of melt-down."

"You'll be fine. Even if it was Sunday, you would have had most of this stuff done already." Lizzy reassured her. She turned to Will, to make sure he knew what they were talking about. "Jane is the new neurosurgeon at the hospital. She just moved back to London a couple of weeks ago and has been getting to know the hospital before starting her work fully."

"Aah, I see. So you are the new doctor that Branson was raving about last night." Will said to Jane. "Congratulations; I've never heard the man stop complaining for as long as he did when he spoke about you." Both women laughed at this before he turned back to Lizzy. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I have about six missed calls from Charles and he gets a little worried if I don't call to tell him that I have been eating my greens." He gave her an apologetic smile.

"Oh, okay. Here, I'll walk you out."

"It was nice to see you again, Jane." Will said.

"You too." Jane sent him a brief smile as Lizzy and he walked out of the kitchen.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" She asked as they stood just outside her door.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I have a lot to do today, though I would much rather spend the time here. Besides, I think Jane wants the opportunity to grill you."

"Oh, joy. How lucky I am." She muttered sarcastically. Will caught her wrist and pulled her into a soft kiss, she brought her hands up to his neck and drew the kiss out. He broke away first he let his forehead rest against hers.

"If I don't go now, I will never leave." He said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. "I'll talk to you soon. Goodbye, Girl in the Red Dress." Lizzy giggled and smiled up at him.

"Bye, Will." She gave him one last kiss before breaking out of his arms to go into her apartment. She gave him a small smile and watched him until she closed the door.

She had barely made it back into the kitchen before Jane launched at her.

"He stayed the night?" Jane practically shrieked at her.

"Janey, relax, I didn't sleep with him. Well, technically, I did, but nothing happened."

"Nothing happened? Then why do you have hickey's?"

"What?" Lizzy wheeled away from her sister's smirk and ran to the mirror in the living room. She pulled the collar of her dressing gown apart and saw one hickey at the top of her right breast and another just below her right ear. "I'm going to kill him." She muttered darkly. She saw Jane come up behind her in the mirror, her smirk still firmly in place.

"So, do you want to tell me what happened?" Lizzy sighed and turned around.

"Well, after he drove me home, I asked him if he wanted to come in..."


	7. Chapter 7

- Chapter Seven

**Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up! Had Internet trouble, then was moving out and starting uni and then I had more Internet trouble and also severe writers block! I'm not sure if I really like this chapter, it was hard for me to write. Anyway, for those of you still reading enjoy and I will try to get another chapter up ASAP.**

**Also, if any if you would be interested in beta-ing for me, send me a pm as I seem to miss heaps of my mistakes and I would rather have someone who is already interested in the story. Sorry if I am making little sense.**

**Enjoy**

**Thank you :)**

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Lizzy waited for Jane to close her mouth after she finished telling her about her night.

"That's so romantic." Her sister finally said prompting Lizzy to roll her eyes; Jane had always had a tendency to over-exaggerate things.

"Hardly." She scoffed. "It was lust and a need to be comforted, that's it."

"Perhaps last night was, you were obviously reeling after seeing Wickham, but this morning? No, that was something else entirely."

"Jane, if you say it was love or some rubbish like that, I am going to kick you out." Lizzy pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed them gently.

"I wasn't going to say that, you cynical old bat. But, seeing as you brought it up..."

"Oh God, shut up! I don't even know the guy! Does spending a wonderful night with him mean that you love Charles?"

"Point taken. But the fact that this guy stayed with you simply because you didn't want to be alone, well, it says a lot about his character."

"Yeah, maybe. But then again, you never can tell, can you?" The blissful haze Lizzy had woken up in was wearing off and the trauma of the night before was sinking in. "I mean, we couldn't tell with Wickham, could we?" Jane reached across the table and took her shaking hands.

"You're not really okay, are you?" She asked, worry heavy in her voice and on her face. Lizzy looked into the crystal eyes of her sister, the one person who knew just how messed up she had been after Wickham and knew that there was no point trying to lie.

"No... but I'm trying to be! I don't want him to have this power over me, I was just starting to feel like me again; to feel strong." Lizzy cleared her throat, embarrassed by how quickly she had started to choke up, before moving on. "I know that he wouldn't have hurt me, that, if he had, it would have landed him in prison for a very long time. But as soon as I saw him I felt as if I could feel everything he had ever done to me. It felt like I was in actual physical pain and as if there was not enough air reaching my lungs." She took some shaky breaths and cleared her throat again, determined not to break down entirely. She barely registered when Jane got up from her seat and came to kneel by her chair, wrapping her arms around her. This proved to be her undoing and she soon found herself on the floor, letting the tears flood out as she clutched at her sister.

Jane held her tightly and rocked her as she cried, trying to hold back her own tears as she again cursed the bastard that had inflicted so much pain on her baby sister; both mentally and physically. She had been dragged to hell and back within the last year; had so much ripped away from her and had sacrificed so much. She couldn't see her beautiful, brave sister become the shell of herself that she hid behind during the whole ordeal with Wickham again. She had watched her sister waste away in front of her as weight fell from her body and her eyes sank deeper into their sockets. She didn't think she would be able to stand the blank expression or the fake smile that Lizzy had kept firmly fixed on her face in an attempt to reassure those who loved her, while all the while, her eyes screamed for someone to save her. It had broken her heart to see that fiery spirit that was so Lizzy, die away.

When Lizzy had cried herself out, she pulled back to look her sister in the eyes.

"I'm sorry." That seemed to be her catchphrase of the weekend. Jane started stroking her hair and smiled at her.

"Oh sweetie, don't worry. It's a actually a relief to see you break down once in a while, knowing how much you held back for so long."

"Still, I can't believe that I'm crying over him... again." Lizzy grimaced as she wiped her eyes. "I just feel weak and tired."

"Elizabeth Bennet, I need you to listen to me. You are not a weak person. You've been hurt; incredibly, incredibly hurt, but that does not make you a weak person. And the fact that you have bounced back from it makes you so strong. But you are also not invincible and the fact that you reacted the way you have just means that you are a human being with thoughts and emotions. Which is good because I think that having a robot for a sister would mean that beach trips would be insanely difficult." Lizzy laughed at her sister's attempts to cheer her up, something that she had always been able to do, no matter how black her mood had been.

"What would I do without you, Janey?"

"Hmm, I have no idea." They both laughed and then helped each other up from the floor. "Now, I want you to go have a shower and get properly dressed, not just into a pair of trackies and a jumper, but into some decent clothes and I want you to do something productive with your day, okay? No wallowing or anything." Jane smiled warmly at Lizzy and hugged her. "I'll call you later, alright?"

"Alright."

"Take care, okay? I'll talk to you later."

"I will, Jane." Lizzy walked her to the door and hugged her again, thanking God once again that she had at least one normal sister.

She walked back to her bedroom to clean up and find some clothes, forgetting the mess that would be waiting for her. She started laughing as she looked upon the tangle that was her bed, the sheets and blankets all crumpled up into one huge pile. Halfway through making her bed, her mobile vibrated on her bedside table, she picked it up to see a message from Jane.

*_Forgot to tell you, I left the paper for you, you might want to check out page 4. Love you xx*_

Lizzy smiled at the phone, deciding she would look at the paper after her shower, wanting to use her time under the hot water to think about her situation. As she felt the spray ease her muscles, she couldn't help but let her thoughts turn back to Will. As unexpected, and unpleasant at some points, as the evening had been, she realised that she didn't regret anything. She shook her head as she got out of the shower; she had always thought of herself as a pretty level-headed person, but she was tempted to reconsider this as she thought of how quickly she was falling for Will. The part of her that was still trying to move on after Wickham was screaming at her to start running in the opposite direction. While she had been on a few dates since George, mostly at Jane's insistence, nothing had ever gone as far as last night had. She was shocked at her reaction to the man and, if she really thought about it, slightly scared too. The intensity of it all left her reeling and she worried about how quickly she began to trust him. Again she cursed George in her head, maybe she really was becoming cynical.

She decided to try and finish off her lesson plans for the next week, not wanting to fall behind. She had decided to start working again about six months ago after a particularly brutal meltdown which had resulted in a lot things around her apartment being shattered and had only ended when Jane had decided to check on her, after she had ignored five of her calls, and found her sitting in the bathtub with a nearly empty bottle of scotch. Needless to say, that was one of her bad days. When she got up the next day to find Jane cleaning up broken glass from the crockery and mirrors she had threw everywhere, she knew she had to change something. Within a week she had moved out of the townhouse she and Wickham had bought together and was staying at Janet's until she was able to get a place of her own. she went back to work three weeks later and was settled into her new apartment, conveniently close to her older sister, within another two weeks. They had spent hours trekking all over London to get new furniture and decorations to make the place solely Lizzy's. Getting back to school helped too, she felt like her life was regaining it's normality and as if she could function again properly. Her kids were so innocent and everything was so new and exciting for them, it was impossible not to be enthusiastic around them. She found herself looking forward to work each morning and spend most of her time at home preparing for her classes in some way. As it was, she got completely caught up in her work, forgetting about the newspaper and not stopping until her phone rang just after 4.

"Hello?"

"Lizzy? It's Will." She didn't even try to stop the grin that spread across her face.

Will sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, looking away from the email as he realised he had just read the same line four times without taking it in. Despite his best intentions to finish as much work as he could today, he was too distracted to get far. He could barely go two minutes without thinking of Elizabeth and, if truth be told, he was a bit worried about what that meant. Sighing again, he turned back to the computer screen and began reading the message about the next council meeting again;

_Dear Sir,_

_We request your presence for our monthly council in the Brown Room at..._

'Lizzy's eyes are brown... No, they are more than that, they're gold and green too...' He started thinking

"Oh, Jesus." Will dropped his head down to rest on the desk.

"It's okay, Richard will do just fine."

Will snapped his head up to see his cousin standing in the doorway, a smirk on his face.

"Bloody hell, Rich, you ever heard of knocking?" Darcy scowled at him. "How did you get in."

"Through the front door, it's really quite easy, you know.

"Right, well remind me later to change the locks and get a wolfhound."

"Ha, as if you'd do that." Richard's confident grin slipped slightly as he took in Darcy's raised eyebrow. "Hmm... Anyway, what's got you in such a state then? Couldn't have something to do with a certain lady who looks ravishing in red, could it?"

Darcy grunted and leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his head.

"Poor Darcy; he's in love!" Richard ducked, barely missing being hit by the stapler that his cousin had just launched at his head, then straightened up, laughing, but he turned serious quickly. "How did you go getting her home last night? Was everything okay?"

"Honestly? She was pretty shaken up. She held it together pretty well for a while, but she completely broke down after we had been asleep for a few hours."

"Bloody hell, poor thing." Richard shook his head. "What the hell was he doing there? He has some... Hey, you said: 'after we had been asleep for a few hours...' As in, the two of you had been asleep together... You slept with her?!" Richard stared at his cousin, waiting for an answer.

"What? No, I mean, technically, yes, but not like that; as if I would. She was crying, for Gods sake. Yeah, we kissed and stuff, but come on, do you know how low that would have been. Then we were interrupted by her sister this morning, but, anyway, I've only known her for about 16 hours..." Will trailed off waiting to kick himself as he looked at Richard's face, knowing that he could have just said 'no'. "Oh, shit."

"William Darcy, bloody hell!"

"Please just shut up, please." He groaned.

"Have you called her yet?"

"No. Do you think I should?" He couldn't believe that he was asking Richard for advise about a woman, but, if truth be told , he was desperate and going a bit mad stuck the way he was.

"Of course you bloody should! Why the hell haven't you?"

"I don't know, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've been sitting here in a panic for the past four and a half hours, agonising over whether she would want me to call her or not."

"Well, do you have her number?" Richard asked

"Yeah." He looked at his hand. "I grabbed it from her phone this morning."

Richard coughed out 'stalker' under his breath, ignoring the daggers Will sent his way.

"Mate, trust me, call her, you'll only drive yourself mad if you don't."

"Fine. Can you please leave now so I can at least attempt to get some work done." This time Richard had to duck the elastic band that Will sent his way.

"Jesus, you had better hurry up and call her, otherwise I am confiscating all your stationary, you are a menace to society."

"No, dear cousin, only to you." Rich flipped his finger at him as he ducked out the door.

He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he looked back down at the number on his hand. He wondered if it was too early to call her. Looking at the clock, he saw it was just after 4 and decided to just do it anyway. Clearing his throat, he started dialling the number, not sure whether he wanted her to answer or not; just when he thought she wasn't going to, her voice came through the line;

"Hello?"

"Lizzy? It's Will."

"Hi, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm good. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay after everything that had happened?"

"I'm fine. Thank you again for all your help last night."

"It was my pleasure, well, I mean, that is to say..." Will blushed and heard Lizzy laughing over the line.

"Don't worry, I know what you mean. How did you get my number, by the way?"

"I may or may not have borrowed your phone this morning..." Again, her crystal laugh sounded.

"That's very smooth, I'm guessing that was when I left to greet our 'visitor'?"

He let out a deep chuckle at her words,mouth also felt an almost giddy sensation that she had said 'our'. "Yeah. So, um, I was wondering if perhaps, at some point, preferably soon, if you would like to, ahem, go out with me?" He cursed himself for his inability to form a coherent sentence, something wholly unlike him, as he waited for her response.

"Oh... I would love too."

He had already steeled himself for disappointment, so much so that it took him a few seconds to register what she said. "Really? That's great! Well, how about dinner tomorrow night, then?"

"Oh, I can't tomorrow, I am so sorry." He felt his heart sink a little, not wanting to have to wait until next weekend to see her. "But I am free tonight, if you would like? If you are not busy, that is."

A grin split his face and he felt like punching the air. "I would love to see you tonight." He said. "Shall I pick you up around 6?"

"That's perfect. I'll see you soon then."

"See you soon." He stayed on the phone until he heard her disconnect and actually punched the air before settling himself back into his seat and straightening his tie and clearing his throat.

"Get a grip, you old fool."

Darcy had just got out of the shower and was looking through his wardrobe when he heard his phone buzz with a text. Looking at it, he saw it was Richard.

'_Darce, you need to have a look at page 4 of The Sun, you might need to do some damage control."_

Will frowned at his phone then made his way toy he study and sorted through the pile of today's newspapers on his desk, looking for the Sunday copy of The Sun, and flicked to page four once he found it. There he saw three large photos spread across the page with a chunk of text beneath them.

"Oh... shit!"

Lizzy did a kind of skip through her apartment after she got off the phone with Will. She knew she probably looked ridiculous, but couldn't help herself. She couldn't remember feeling this excited over something in a very long time and she was not going to let that scumbag ruin her happiness again. It had been far too long since she had enjoyed spending time with a man and now that such an opportunity was presented, she was going to make the most of it.

She decided to refresh herself with another quick shower and, not knowing what Will's plan for tonight was, dressed in some simple charcoal slacks with a cream button-down shirt and some flats. She opted to leave her hair out and let it hang down her back naturally. It was when she was sitting at the kitchen bench waiting for Will to arrive that she saw the newspaper by the fruit bowl and remembered Jane's message. Having nothing else to do, she picked it up and flicked to page 4: what she saw there almost made her fall off of her stool.

**_HAS THE DUKE FOUND HIS DUCHESS?_**

_Prepare yourselves, ladies, as this could come as quite a shock! William Darcy, Duke of Derbyshire and Lord of Pemberley, and, on a more personal note, definitely one of the, if not the, most eligible and handsome man in the UK, was spotted last night in the arms of a young lady at the annual Hospital Fundraising Ball. Mr Darcy and the woman, who remains unknown at this point, were inseparable for most of the evening, with other guests reporting that this was the most animated that they had ever seen the normally stoic and quiet man, before they left together in his car. Could this nameless lady be the one to end Darcy's days as a bachelor or was it merely a one-off dalliance? It will surely be a sad day for all of Britain's women if the elusive Mr Darcy is whisked off by a mystery woman._

Above the article were three photos from different points in the evening. Two showed the two of them dancing; in one, he was holding her closely and she had one hand resting on the back if his neck, with her fingers in his hair and the two of them were looking into each others eyes; in the other, she was resting her head on his chest, her eyes closed contentedly and had his cheek pressed softly against her hair, smiling. The last photo was of the two of them leaving Gibson Hall, it was taken from behind and in it she had Will's cost over her shoulders and was leaning into his side with his arm around her waist. There were all beautiful photos, but Lizzy barely registered that, she couldn't stop staring at the blaring title and words from the article kept jumping into her mind; Derbyshire, eligible, elusive, dalliance. She jumped when she heard the intercom and buzzed whoever was down there in immediately, knowing it would be Will. She went to stand by the door and opened it before he had the chance to knock. He stood on the threshold, looking flustered and gazed from the paper in her hand back to her face.

"I can explain." He said.

"I think that might be a good idea."


	8. Chapter 8

**- Chapter Eight**

**This chapter is for iknowyou2. I hope it lives up to your expectations, it's not as long as I wanted it to be, but this is the last time I'm going to have Internet until next week. It's kind o rushed, so I'm sorry if I've missed any mistakes and stupid auto-correct typos; will try to fix them soon.**

**Thank you all for you reviews, and please keep them coming, it is true that it gives me incentive to write.**

**I own nothing recognisable, it all belongs to Jane Austen and, in this case, the wonderful Disney company.**

**Enjoy :)**

**Ooh, I also recommend that you listen to Greg Laswell's cover of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' and Peter Bradley Adam's 'Between Us'**

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Lizzy stepped stepped back to allow Will inside her flat and then walked to the kitchen, putting the newspaper down on the counter-top before turning to face him.

"Would you like anything to drink, *my Lord?*" He grimaced at the sarcasm laced into her words.

"Liz... I'm sorry. I know I should have told you, but it was so nice to talk to someone who didn't know who I was and then there never seemed to be a right time." He reached towards her, but she turned away and began to fill the kettle. He sighed and ran his fingers through his already dishevelled hair and rolled his shoulders. "Lizzy, please..."

"It makes me feel like a right idiot, you know?" She said, still facing the sink. "Here I am, dancing and flirting with one of Britain's most "eligible and handsome" men," she put on a posh, high-pitched voice for the last part. "And I don't even know." She took a great, shuddering breath. "No wonder they said it was a stupid dalliance with a mystery woman." She turned around and, with horror, he noticed that her eyes were full of unshed tears. He began to understand that she was still so emotionally vulnerable after seeing Wickham, that she couldn't help but feel betrayed by this. "I should have known it was too good to be true..."

"Oh, Lizzy." He walked towards her and took the kettle out of her hands, placing it on the bench. When she started to turn away again, he gently held her by the shoulders and kept her facing him. He stooped a little to be able to look into her downcast eyes. "You're not an idiot. If anything, this shows that you don't waste your time with gossip and getting caught up in the lives of other people. Do you know how refreshing that is for me?" He smiled at her and brushed his fingers along her cheek and rubbed her shoulders with his thumbs. "But I am sorry for not telling you. I guess I have just become so used to everyone thinking that they know everything about me, that it just didn't cross my mind that you might not know. I know it's strange; but it's still me." She sighed and buried her face in his shirt, letting her tears fall. He rubbed circles against her back and kissed the top of her hair; calming and soothing her until she was ready.

He pulled back slightly when he heard her mumble something into his shirt.

"What did you say?" She blushed and averted her eyes.

"I said... Was it only a dalliance?" He almost laughed and hugged her again.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yes, but..."

"Shhh." He pressed his lips to hers and poured everything he could into kissing her. When they broke apart, he kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, before returning to her lips again. "Does that convince you?" She let out a bright laugh, her eyes dancing.

"Convince me again." She said, resting her palm against his cheek. He gladly did.

After they'd stopped kissing, Lizzy looked up at him, her eyes still slightly worried. "You must think I'm emotionally unstable; all I ever seem to do when I'm around you is cry."

"Don't be silly... I do remember that there were some times when you weren't crying..." He trailed off, his eyes boring into hers. She met his gaze, colouring slightly.

"You know, I really am sorry, Elizabeth..." Darcy said after a while, looking down at her with worried eyes.

"I know." She said, with a sigh. "I'm sorry I was so snarky about it; I overreacted."

He brushed some hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "It was a pretty big thing for me not to tell you, though."

"It doesn't matter. It's like you said; it's pretty common knowledge, so it's fair enough that you would just think that I knew." She smiled up at him. "And we'd only just met; no one would expect someone that they had just met to tell them every little thing about themselves."

Will laughed, a deep, rich sound, and hugged her again. "Well, what dark secrets did you hide from me?"

Lizzy stiffened in his arms slightly, before letting out a giggle, she looked up at him and whispered in his ear: "I had a lisp..." He laughed with her, but noticed that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. He let it go though, not wanting to push her too much.

"Well, so far, this hasn't quite been the romantic evening I had hoped for." Will grinned at her cheekily. "I even forgot to make a dinner reservation in my rush to get here." Lizzy laughed gaily at him and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

"You are ridiculous, you know?" She said.

"So I've been told." He replied, trying to keep a somber face, but failing miserably.

"You know, whether we go out to dinner or not doesn't bother me." She told him. "In fact, it might be nice just to stay in. So how about this: you chose the movie, I'll throw a couple of pizzas in the oven and go change quickly, how does that sound?"

"Okay, you're on." He said. She leaned up to kiss him briefly.

"I'll be back soon." As she turned away he couldn't resist pulling her back to him and kissing her deeply. She wound her arms around his neck and he gripped her waist, holding her tightly against him. When they slowly separated, she looked into his eyes for a second, slightly short of breath.

"I'll be back really, really soon."

Lizzy sat down on her bed quickly to try and gather her thoughts. She felt bad about how she had treated Will; she had been too quick to judge and he had done nothing to deserve her behaviour. She held her face in her hands for a minute, trying to steady herself. She knew that she was acting this way because of George, but that wasn't fair to Will; he shouldn't have to suffer because of her past. For a second, as she sat there on her bed. She felt the panic that had been threatening to overwhelm her all afternoon begin to creep over her again. She could still see his face looming over her whenever she shut her eyes; the situations weren't always the same, but he always wore the same sneer on his face: he would look down in her as if she were no better then something he had just squashed under his shoe. She had learnt quickly that that expression meant that the pain wasn't far away.

Lizzy stifled a small sob as she felt her throat starting to tighten and screwed her eyes shut. She wanted nothing more than to believe that whatever was going on with Will was a positive thing, but, at the same time, she was so afraid. How much suffering could one person experience before their body and mind gave up on them?

Will stood in front of one of the bookshelves in Lizzy's lounge casually perusing her collection of movies. In all honesty, he wasn't paying much attention to the titles, he was thinking back to the moment when Lizzy had seized up in his arms when he made the joke about dark secrets. He knew he sounded irrational, even to himself, but he couldn't stand the thought of her being in pain. He was beginning to realise that, already, he would do anything for is woman and wondered just how deep her scars ran. He didn't expect to know everything about her after barely a day, but he wanted to; whether it be good or bad. He never wanted her to suffer as she so obviously had with Wickham ever again and swore that he would do anything in his power to prevent that; even if it meant never letting her out of his sight again, an idea he was not wholly opposed too.

Lizzy spent a few more moments breathing deeply, trying to regain some control, before forcing herself off of her bed and changing into some more casual clothes. She didn't want to be gone long enough to make Will curious. She looked in her mirror briefly and took notice of her drawn expression.

"Get a grip." She said to her reflection. "Just get a grip."

With that, she nearly marched out of her room and into the lounge, stopping to lean against the door frame, watching Will as he ran his hand over the spines of her DVD collection. Taking advantage of the fact that he hadn't seemed to notice her, she scanned her eyes over his form, admiring the way his shirt sleeves re rolled up to the elbow, exposing his muscular forearms and the barely concealed muscles of him back. She felt a tingle run down her spine and silently laughed at herself for being so girly.

"Made a choice yet?" She called to him. He spun to face her, his surprised expression letting her know that he had indeed been unaware of her presence. His lips quirked up in a small smile before he answered.

"Not quite."

"Well, I'm just going to go put those pizzas in the oven, you have about three minutes to decide." She shot him a grin before heading back into the kitchen, hearing him chuckle slightly behind her.

By the time she returned, he had reached her Disney collection (somethings you can never grow out of) and was holding 'The Lion King' in his hands.

"I've never actually seen this..." He said, looking up at her.

"What? You haven't lived!" She walked over to him and took the movie from his hands and turned to the television. "I'm sorry, but your choice will have to be overlooked, this is a national emergency." He started laughing and she smiled up at him.

"How can I possibly protest now?" He sat done on the couch, still smiling at her.

"You can't." She said simply, her eyes dancing with laughter. "And if you did, I'd just tie you up and make you watch it anyway." His eyes darkened at her words and his smile became more of a smirk. Lizzy couldn't help the blush that spread over face and seriously wished that she thought more before opening her mouth.

With the movie in and ready to go, she made her way over to the couch; she wasn't quite sure where to sit, but that decision was taken out of her hands as he pulled her down right beside him. She would be lying if she said that she didn't draw her legs up on the seat and nestle in a bit closer to him. His right arm rested behind her in the couch and his hand drew lazy patterns on her arm, his other reaching across to hold one of hers.

Lizzy payed very little attention for the first half and hour or so of the movie, but was too comfortable and content to care. It wasn't until they reached the scene of Mufasa's death that she began to think that perhaps this movie want the best choice; she could never help but cry at this part.

When Darcy heard her sniffle, he looked down at her and saw her hand come up to wipe her cheek.

"Lizzy... Are you crying?" He asked.

"No..." She replied, thickly. He bit his lip to keep from laughing, and turned her face towards his.

"I can't help it." She said. "It's just so sad." This time he did let out a brief laugh, but pulled her tightly against him.

"Oh, you beautiful duffer." She gave a watery laugh and snuggled closer to him.

"You know, I should take offence at that, but I really couldn't care right now." Will chuckled again and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

When her tears had dried off, Lizzy looked up at Will and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. He gently cupped her face in his hands and pulled her back to his lips, kissing her tenderly. Her hands rested on his chest as or of his slid down her back. Lizzy raised herself into her knees and smiled into the kiss. He pulled back and grinned at her, an impish look coming into his eyes. He swung his legs up quickly onto the couch and held her against his chest, running kisses down her neck. She sighed happily and combed her fingers through his hair. Their lips met again, with more urgency . Will's hands gripped her hips and hers clutched at his shoulder and neck.

They both jumped as the timer on the oven went off, looking remarkably like children who had just been caught with their hands in the biscuit tin. Lizzy couldn't help but laugh as she tried to get off the couch with as much dignity as possible, hearing Will grumbling something under his breath about 'time' and 'interruptions'... She shared his sentiments though.


	9. Chapter 9

- Chapter Nine

**Don't own anything recognisable.**

**A big 'thank you' to centava99 who has started beta-ing this story for me and for everyone who reviewed and sent me messages, you helped me get off my backside and write. This is mostly a filler chapter, but it touches on some important things. **

**Hope you enjoy**

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When Lizzy woke up the next morning, she found her ritual stretch impeded by a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. She smiled and snuggled back against Will, deciding that a few more minutes wouldn't hurt. She thought back to last night- they had blushed like teenagers as they ate their pizza before catching one another's eye and bursting into laughter. After the movie ended, Lizzy had flicked throughout the channels before settling on some film that neither of them really paid much attention to. She sat between his legs and leaned against his chest as he rested against the arm of the couch and stretched his legs along the seat and he traced patterns over her wrists and hands. They had talked about how he met Charles and the ridiculousness of his sister, Caroline; laughing when he recounted the incident when she had pretended to trip while walking next to him, hoping to fall into his arms, but he had turned away at the last second and Caroline had landed unceremoniously on her rear. In turn, she told him about Jane; about their relationship and how she had been Lizzy's rock growing up. They both nodded off when they lapsed into silence, bathed in the light flickering from the screen. When she woke, Lizzy had tugged a semi-conscious Will to bed, insisting that it was late and he was too tired to drive. He had mumbled an incoherent agreement and flopped, spread-eagled, onto her bed. She laughed as she made her way to the bathroom to change. When she returned, he had shifted onto his side and as she climbed in, he managed to wake up enough to pull her down beside him and kiss her gently before wrapping his arms around her as they fell asleep again.

Lizzy smiled and closed her eyes again and drifted into a half-sleep. As she dozed, she dreamt. Her subconscious dredged up Wickham's face, his oily voice, made her believe that it was his arms that tightened their hold around her. She forced her eyes open and launched herself into a sitting position on the side of her bed. Her frantic scrambling woke Will and his brow furrowed in concern when he took in her tense posture. He moved to sit behind her and kissed her shoulder, causing her to relax slightly.  
"Are you alright?" He asked.  
"I'm fine, bad dream." She replied, letting out a long breath. He kissed her shoulder again and rested his face in the crook of her neck.  
"Are you sure you're okay?" He murmured against her skin.  
"Yes." Lizzy turned her head to place a soft kiss on his cheek then stood up, moving to the window. Will watched her from the bed, noticing her stiff movements. He didn't know what he should do; go to her or give her space? But she spoke again before he could make a decision.  
"Do you think this is moving too fast?"  
"Do you?"  
"I asked you first..."  
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, he could feel himself closing up, his reflex reaction for high pressure situations, but fought against it. He moved to stand next to her, looking out of the window.  
"I don't know, Lizzy. I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't thought that maybe we could be," He watched her hands grasping at the window sill and took a deep breath. "Part of me thinks that a weekend is hardly enough time to get to know anyone... But then I look at you, and I see the way that your face lights up when you smile and the spark that comes into your eyes that makes me desperate to know what you are thinking." He turned to face her and tilted her face towards him. "And, bloody hell this sounds weird, but I feel you, Lizzy. I feel happy when you're happy and when you are sad I just want to make it all go away for you." She leaned against his chest and hugged him. "It's been one hell of a weekend, but, for the most part, it's been one of the best." He finished. She giggled and placed a hand on his cheek.  
"Who knew you had such a way with words?" Will chuckled and tucked some hair behind her ear. "Come on, Shakespeare, let's get some breakfast."

As she put the kettle on, Lizzy's mobile rang and she grimaced when she checked the caller's name.  
"My Mum... let's see if you still think that this isn't moving too quickly after you've met her."  
"Come on, she can't be that bad, can she?"  
Lizzy fixed him with a look that made him slightly anxious.  
"Oh, she's a perfect saint." She replied before she answered the phone.

"Hello, Mum." Lizzy cringed and shot a look at Will as a voice shrieked loudly out of the phone. "I'll be back soon." She mouthed at him as she left the kitchen, holding the phone slightly away from her ear to preserve her hearing. Knowing her mother would continue in this manner for some time, she tuned out to her words and only picked up phrases such as: 'A Duke!', 'Had to find out from the newspaper...', 'Sophie Lucas is so jealous...', 'Not as beautiful as Jane, but...' and 'A very advantageous marriage.' Lizzy sighed and rubbed her temples with her free hand. How Jane managed to put up with their mother's... enthusiasm, was beyond her. She refocused her attention on the one-sided conversation as she noticed her mother winding down.  
"You've done very well for yourself this time, Lizzy. Do try to hang on to him, won't you?" Fanny Bennet gushed.  
"Oh, hello, Mother. It's simply splendid to hear from you! I'm very well, thank you for asking. How are your nerves?" Lizzy said, sarcasm dripping from her over-enthusiastic tone.  
"Don't you sass me, Elizabeth! And my nerves are completely shot, thanks to you. Imagine having to hear that your own flesh and blood has a new boyfriend from the newspaper. You have no compassion!" Lizzy sighed softly; there would be no placating her mother today. "Now, you must bring this Mr Darcy home to meet your father and I, I simply cannot wait."  
"Mum, please. You are going to have to wait, you seem to forget that I have only known him myself for two days, I don't think I am quite ready to, um, introduce him to you yet."  
"You need to move fast, Lizzy, a man like that won't wait around forever."  
"You know what, Mum? I think I've earned being able to take as much time as I want. I have to go; I'll talk to you later in the week." Lizzy quickly hung up her phone before her mother could object. She took a few moments to herself before walking back to the kitchen.

"So... How did it go?" Will grinned at her.  
"She was perhaps even more impossible than usual." She replied. He opened his arms to her and she stepped into them, resting her cheek on his chest. "What's the time?" She asked.  
"Just after 10."  
"What? Bugger, bugger, bugger." Lizzy grumbled and stepped away from him. "I'm supposed to be meeting Jane and a friend at 11 for brunch." She aimlessly ran a hand through her hair.  
"Brunch?" He asked with a smirk.  
"Oh, shut up. It's a tradition."  
"I said nothing." He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. "I think it's cute." He whispered.  
"Yeah, I'm sure." She wrinkled her nose at him before he bent down to kiss her quickly.  
"I'll get out of your hair." He told her. "I'll talk to you later, yeah?"  
"Yep, talk to you later." She smiled at him and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before letting him go so he could grab whatever he had lying around.

"You know, I'm going to have to stop sleeping in my clothes; I'm really beginning to understand 'the walk of shame.'" He called to her from her bedroom.  
"Oh, poor Will, shall I find you an over-sized pair of sunglasses and one of my shirts?" She teased.  
"You know what, I think I will manage." He told her, laughing. "I'll see you soon. Enjoy your brunch, Lizzy." He kissed her again, rather forcefully, before walking out of her door, leaving her sitting, pretty dazed and giggly, at her counter. She shook herself out of her stupor before rushing around her place to be ready to meet Jane and Charlotte on time. As it was, she was only a few minutes late when she arrived at their favourite little cafe.

"We were beginning to think that you had forgotten!" Jane called to her as she weaved over to them.  
"Or that a certain young man had you tied to the bed and refused to let you go!" Charlotte added as Lizzy sat reached them.  
"Um, yeah, hi! Nice to see you too." Lizzy said, leaning across to give them both a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting down.  
"But, seriously, Lizzy, were you with him?" Charlotte asked.  
"I see you've been filling her in, then." Lizzy said to Jane.  
"Don't blame me, that woman is incorrigible when she wants to know something!"  
"Lizzy, you made page four!" Charlotte exclaimed. "It's hardly a state secret. So tell me!  
"Fine, I was with Will," Lizzy admitted. "But then we were interrupted by a phone call from the dear Mrs Bennet."  
Jane grimaced at her sympathetically while Charlotte wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.  
"And what exactly did she interrupt?"  
"Tea, Charlotte, tea."  
"I sure that's what it was."  
Lizzy rolled her eyes and looked down at the menu, scanning through it quickly.

"Anyway, has Jane told you about _her _new man yet?" Lizzy said without bothering to look up.  
"Lizzy!" Jane moaned. Lizzy laughed as she heard Charlotte turn on her sister and demand answers from her.  
"Jane Bennet, you little minx! How could you keep this from me?" Charlotte cried. Lizzy looked up to see her friend clutching her chest in mock horror and Jane sporting what was, unfairly, a very becoming blush.  
"Go easy on her, Charlotte." Lizzy laughed, taking pity on her sister. Charlotte shot her a quick grin before turning back to Jane.  
"No promises. So Jane, I suppose that you met him at the benefit. Did he sweep you off your feet and carry you away on his white steed, professing his undying love for you as the midnight hour chimed?" Charlotte put on a deep voice as she teased Jane.  
"Oh, go away, Charlotte." Jane managed to get out.  
"There is so much love in this room; I am practically suffocating in it!" Charlotte cried. "Anyway, Jane, really what is the story? You told me all about our little Lizzy; it's only fair that we get the dirt on you."  
Jane's blush renewed as Lizzy giggled at the pair of them, looking at Jane expectantly.  
"Ugh, fine! You two are impossible!" Jane threw her hands up in defeat. "Yes, we met at the benefit, and he was lovely. We spent so much time together, just talking and dancing and laughing. Oh, he makes me laugh. He is so sweet and kind and sincere. He really was the perfect gentlemen the whole evening. And when Wickham turned up, he was so good about everything and…" Jane seemed to realise what she had said and shot a wide-eyed look at Lizzy, who had tensed up and was staring very resolutely at her menu. "Oh, Lizzy, I'm sorry."  
"Wait, Wickham was there?" Charlotte asked, looking between the two sisters.  
Lizzy finally looked up at them, her face blank.  
"Yes, he was there." She said. "But it's fine. I'm fine. Will scared him off before anything happened, it was just a shock to see him, that's all."  
"That slippery git!" Charlotte exclaimed loudly, causing a few people to glance over at them.  
"Charlotte, please. Everything is fine. Let's not talk about it anymore. Nothing bad happened; it turned out to be quite a pleasant evening regardless." Lizzy told her.  
"So," Her friend said, quirking her eyebrow "Did you get any?"  
Thankfully, Lizzy was saved having to answer by the arrival of the waiter to take their orders.


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, here you go, Chapter Ten! I hope you enjoy it. I'm sorry for the wait, I've had this awesome scene stuck in my head for another story and I had to get it down on paper before it disappeared and then it just seemed to keep growing.**

**A massive thanks again to centava99 who has put up with me sending draft after draft and who has been a massive help! Everyone give her a round of applause!**

**As usual, I own nothing recognisable.**

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- Chapter Ten

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Lizzy turned around to face Charlotte and Jane as they left the cafe, turning her back to the street.  
"Let's go back to mine, shall we?" She said. "I need more excuses to avoid those lesson plans that I have to write."  
But Jane and Charlotte were not looking at her; they were looking, instead, across the small road in front of the cafe with confused expressions on their faces.  
"Um, Lizzy," Charlotte began. "Are those people taking photographs of us?"  
"What?" Lizzy spin around and saw three people, two with expensive looking cameras which were trained at her. "Oh, shit, shit, shit!"  
The people saw her looking at them and began clicking away at their cameras.  
"I'm guessing this is because of The Sun." Charlotte said. Lizzy turned to look at her, with a quirked eyebrow.  
"Ten points to Gryffindor, Char." She muttered dryly. "Where is your car parked?"  
"Shit, Lizzy, my car is in the garage, I came in a cab."  
"Come on, we have to go."  
"We can't walk to your place," Jane said. "They'll only follow us and then they will know where you live."  
"I know! Help me get a taxi."

The girls walked quickly forward and stood on the curb just as the other group crossed the street and marched towards them. It was just their luck that there was no taxi in sight.  
"Don't say anything to them!" Lizzy said as they picked up their pace.  
"Miss, miss! You are the lady who accompanied Lord Darcy, aren't you?"  
Lizzy resolutely avoided eye contact with them as she scanned the street.  
"Miss, what is your name?"  
"How did you meet Lord Darcy?"  
"How long have the two of you been in a relationship?"  
"What is the Lord like in bed?"  
"Are the two of you going to get married?"  
The questions swirled around them as Lizzy began to see red; she wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to stand them without snapping. She continued to tune them out and walked towards a busier stretch of road. Jane stepped out and waved when a taxi finally came into view. One final question reached her before the door closed and Jane told the man to drive.  
"How far will you go to be Lady Darcy?"

Lizzy turned her face from the window and gave the driver the address as Jane looked behind them.  
"I don't think that they are going to follow us, they just stood there after we left." She said. "I don't think they were really too committed. You okay, Lizzy?"  
"I'm fine." Lizzy replied tiredly. "I just want to go home."  
"Be there soon, miss." The driver said. The whole journey took under ten minutes. As they pulled up in front of her building, Lizzy sent a short message to Will, telling him what had happened. The reply that she got back said that he'd be there in fifteen minutes. As it was, she barely had time to sit down on the couch before Jane buzzed him up and he came through the door looking very flustered.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked.  
"Yes, we're fine." Jane said.  
"I'm just about to leave." Charlotte added, heading out of the door. "I'll call you later, Lizzy. Nice to meet you, Will. Nice arse." With that, she flounced out. Will stared after her in shock, and then looked back at the two other ladies.  
"And that was?" He asked.  
"Charlotte." Jane replied. "She takes some getting used to."  
It hadn't escaped Will's notice that Lizzy hadn't said a word so far so he sat down beside her on the couch.  
"How are you doing?" He asked, glancing down at her tightly intertwined fingers then back up to her face when she didn't answer. "Lizzy? I'm sorry; I didn't think that they would track you down so soon."  
"You suspected that they would, though. Didn't you?" She asked quietly.  
"Eventually? Yes." He replied. Lizzy took a deep breath and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees.  
"So, does this mean that I'm going to be followed by monkeys with cameras wherever I go now?"  
"I doubt that they were already following you." He said. "They probably just received a tip-off or something."  
"But if this thing between us continues, then they probably will follow me, won't they?" She asked, looking at Will for the first time since he sat down. "Won't they?"  
Will, paused and tried to stop his fear of her thinking that they weren't worth the risk showing through. "Yes. Not all the time, but often enough." He finally said. She let out a huff of air and walked out of the room. Will went to follow her, but was stopped by Jane.  
"Wait, just give her a minute. This is her way of giving herself a time-out."  
"Shouldn't I talk to her about it though?"  
"Yes, but you have to remember that you have been dealing with situations like this your entire life, whereas she has suddenly had someone shoving a camera in her face and asking her really crazy questions during what should have been a normal outing with friends."  
"I understand, but…"  
"She's still trying to heal, Will. Just give her a bit of time." Jane said, before following her sister.

Lizzy was staring out of the window when her sister walked in.  
"What are you thinking about, Lizzy?"  
"I don't know Jane... So many things." Lizzy gave her sister a weak smile as she came to lean against the counter next to her.  
"Tell me." Jane prompted.  
"I don't even know how to, Janey. Everything is so muddled up in my head and I can't seem to form anything into a coherent thought."  
"Try, sweetie." Jane out a hand on her shoulder. "You can't bottle everything up."  
Lizzy stared silently for another minute before glancing briefly at her sister.  
"I'm scared." She whispered. "I'm scared of how I feel and of what it means, and I hate it! I hate it so much! I feel weak and I used to be so strong."  
"You are still strong!"  
"Not as strong as I used to be. Think about it Jane; I'm only just beginning to have a normal life again. I don't know if I can deal with this."  
"Deal with what? Being with Will?"  
"Yeah... I guess." Lizzy mumbled. "I mean, if this is what it means to be with him, I don't know if I can cope. Everyone is going to think that because I am just a nobody from nowhere that I'm only after his money. And I'm always going to have to put on a show and present this perfect façade when all I want is a little bit of peace. I'm never going to be able to lose it or break down and there is no way I can promise that I won't if someone invades my privacy too much."  
"Lizzy, I love you, and I want what's best for you, and I think you should give him a chance. He could be so good for you."  
"I want to, but I don't know how to anymore."  
"I know it's hard, sweetie, and it's up to you. All I'm saying is, you owe it to him to try. Especially when you think of what's happened between you before this. But if you can't, then please, tell him. Don't hold out on him because I don't think he could handle that. I don't think he is as strong as he seems."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean that I think he's been hurt before, too. He sometimes has a look hidden in his eyes that makes me think of a patient who has been longing for good news only to find out that the surgery wasn't a success." Jane paused to clear her throat. "It makes me think of you, too. Of when you used to come to visit us, with _him_. You had that look, too, and it used to kill me." Again, she stopped and looked down at Lizzy.  
"But, you know what?" Jane continued. "When I saw you and Will together on Friday night, and yesterday morning, you both looked so happy to be together, and relaxed." Lizzy smiled weakly at this. "Just try, please, Lizzy."  
"When did you get to be so wise?" Lizzy asked before resting her head on Jane's shoulder.  
"I think it was after you punched Joel Rider when you were eight when he tried to hold your hand. Someone had to tell you that boys didn't really have creepy diseases." Both laughed at the memory.  
"I love you, Janey. And I promise that I will try. I kind of owe it to all of us, don't I?"  
"I love you too. And yes, you do."

Jane decided to leave after that, saying she still had heaps of preparatory work to do before the next day. Lizzy said goodbye to her at the door.  
She turned back to see Will standing there, his eyes downcast, his hands in his pockets.  
"I'm sorry I walked off like that. Call it a self-preservation thing."  
"It's fine, don't worry about it." He said quickly.  
"Please, Will, don't shut me out." She begged. He looked up at her sharply, taking in her tear-filled eyes.  
"I won't, Lizzy. But that means you can't shut me out either." She looked like she was going to interrupt him, but he quickly cut her off. "No, listen. I know that this has been one hell of a weekend for you, and I'm sorry for that, but whatever is going on, I'm not going to judge you Lizzy, you have to understand that. And I'm not going to hurt you."  
"I know that... I don't know how, but I do. But I'm not very good at letting people in anymore. And the whole idea that I'm not going to be able to do ordinary things, like going out with my friends anymore without having to be on my guard scares me." She said. He sighed and ran a hand over his face.  
"I understand and I'm sorry that the whole thing happened, but no one is expecting you to be perfect. You're great just as you are. You have to know that. Why do you think I've spent every moment I can with you since Friday night?" She nodded mutely then stepped towards him, letting him put his arms around her. They stood like that for a little while before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and pulled back to look at her. "It's okay if you're not ready yet, but just know that whenever you want to talk, I'll listen."  
"Thank you." She whispered, standing on her toes to kiss him, then returning to lean against his chest, she tightened her arms around him. Silence stretched between them again as both of them thought and worried fearfully about the future.

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**As a little present, I would love to get 14 reviews for this chapter to get it up to 100. Would make my week if I could get 100 reviews for 10 chapters. There is over 200 of you following the story so... pretty please!**


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